And take these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring word from them — the *ten cheeses* (*aseret charitsim*, literally 'ten cuttings') are gifts of honor to the officers, establishing David as a dutiful son and tactfully placing his brothers in favorable relation to command. The verb *see* (*u're'eh*) shifts from physical provisioning to spiritual discernment; David is to observe not merely the physical condition of his brothers but their spiritual state. The request for a *davar* (word, message) from them prepares for the moment when David will become the bearer of a different message entirely—not family news but the proclamation of faith.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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